2 Epiphany/Year A
January 19, 2020
Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-12; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1: 29-42
Opening Prayer:
Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness. Christ, be our light! Shine in your church gathered today. Amen. (Longing for light, #45, My Heart sings out)
We’ve just begun a new season in the church year, the season of Epiphany…a season we often associate with light shining in the darkness, the light of Jesus Christ come into the world, God made manifest in Jesus. We spend all of this season, (a total of almost 8 weeks, including Epiphany Day), listening to the Gospel stories which reveal to us Jesus’ identity, shining light on Jesus as the promised One, the Messiah, the Anointed, Emmanuel, God is with us…Shining light on the One, who seems to enter our lives, at times, suddenly, surprisingly, and with a question too important to ignore… “What are you looking for?”
Our gospel reading today began with John declaring, as he saw Jesus coming toward him, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”, and later on, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, again, when Jesus walked by, John exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?”
I got the sense, that when Jesus, turned around to ask his new followers what they were looking for, they were caught off guard for a moment, he probably gave them a bit of a startle, a moment of… Uh…I don’t know how to answer that question just now… But… let me ask you this, Jesus… where are you staying?
Jesus, has their attention now, and eases up the moment, and invites them to come and see…and maybe, just maybe…when the disciples follow Jesus, remain with him, learn from him…they can begin to find what they were looking for…what they were longing for…what they were hoping for…
All, I can think of here, for a moment… is a flashlight… I’m remembering times, when I have been in total darkness, and someone turns on the flashlight…makes me jump back in surprise momentarily, by the sudden burst of light, the little bit of light, that is almost overwhelming…. But the light, helps me navigate this new territory of darkness that I find myself in…and I am thankful that I have this light to help me find my way….
I’m thinking of Jesus right now…as a flashlight….
I know it probably sounds a little simplistic or silly…but just think about how a flashlight helps us…it shines light in the darkness, it helps us see things, that we couldn’t see before, when walking in the darkness; it helps us to walk more confidently in the darkness; when we shine it on the path in front of us, it leads us and guides us forward; it leads us to observe new discoveries; it brightens the space all around us, encircling us with a bit of light….
The Light of Jesus does all of this and more…
The Light of Jesus, reminds us that God’s presence, is among us to help us navigate the seemingly endless days and nights of darkness that threaten to extinguish our hope, and our joy in our day to day lives…
The Light of Jesus, rekindles in our hearts, the belief that there is more to this life than we sometimes see, there is more to this life that matters and fills our life with meaning and purpose…
The Light of Jesus, transforms us, in our darkest moments, by His grace and mercy…making a way forward for us to walk in love, and in the light of hope again…
The Light of Jesus, invites us to come and see…how the love of God, revealed to us, in the life of Jesus, has the power to heal our divisions, reconcile us to one another, and help us live into the dream of the beloved community, that God intended for all of us, to be a part of…
…A beloved community, as the Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr envisioned as a society based on justice, equal opportunity, and love of one’s fellow human beings….a global vision, in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. A Beloved Community…where poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it. A Beloved community where Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. A beloved community committed to a way of non-violence. (thekingcenter.org)
The Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, spent his entire life, pointing people towards the vision of becoming a beloved community…where the Light of Jesus, was at the heart of all the Good News he proclaimed to the world, through his words and actions.
It was startling Good news to many listeners… and many were probably caught off guard by his words and actions at times…but he had a gift… a gift of inviting people to come and see, and envision and dream of a world, where a beloved community was possible...and he never wavered in his belief and hope for all God’s children…to be loved and cared for, unconditionally…
John the Baptist, Andrew, Simon Peter, The Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr… were all witness to the power and compelling Light of Jesus, to transform their own lives, and the lives of others…and without hesitation, were eager to invite others, to come and see, how the Light of Jesus, was helping them to find what they were looking for, longing for, hoping for…
So, get out your flashlight this evening…(Took a flashlight out of my pocket, turned it on, and held it up for the duration of the sermon) and be reminded of the Light of Jesus that has come into this world, to unite us all to one another, in joy, and light and love…and remain there for a time, surrounded by the light and presence of God, in the quiet, in prayer, in meditating on the scriptures which help us get to know Jesus, the light that shines in the darkness…
And then go…go invite others, to come and see…by pointing them to the Light of Jesus, who still shines his light and love in our world today…and invites, all of us…to come and see…
Closing Prayer: The Hymnal 1982 - #538 God of mercy, God of grace
1 God of mercy, God of grace, show the brightness of thy face.
Shine upon us, Savior, shine, fill thy Church with light divine,
and thy saving health extend unto earth's remotest end.
2 Let thy people praise thee, Lord; be by all that live adored.
Let the nations shout and sing glory to their Savior King;
let all be, below, above, one in joy, and light, and love.
Rev Julie Platson, Rector
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska